A lot of updates have been released for the latest generation of the Moto G but not many people are still happy with the smartphone’s camera. That’s not a big problem as many camera apps are available on the Play Store to make capturing photos not only fun but will also guarantee perfect snapshots.

But what if I tell you your Moto G has hidden camera settings? An XDA Forum Member released a tutorial that would unlock advanced camera settings of your Android smartphone. These new customization settings apparently are hidden but a simple hack will reveal them.

The advanced settings include calibration data, UI settings, feature settings, and KPI (msec). There are two ways you can unlock these settings. The first is the easy way, and the second is a completely manual method. And in case you’re wondering, no, you don’t necessarily have to be rooted in order to follow the tutorial.

If you already use a custom ROM on your Moto then this probably isn't the most exciting thing in the world because most custom ROMs already give you access to advanced camera settings, but if you're still running stock Android on your Moto, then this is very exciting indeed. Especially if rooting your phone is something you'd never consider, even to unlock the full potential of your camera.

Then let’s do a simple trick that will Unlock Hidden Camera Settings on Moto G within a few minutes. This hack is intended for the original Moto G but confirmed working on Moto E, Moto G. But this may work on the 2nd generation Moto devices as well. Here we have two methods, one installs a separate camera app and doesn’t require root. The other methods requires root and a minute editing of build.prop. Choose the method that you find more convenient.

INSTALL APK MOTOROLA CAMERA

The easy method involves installing an apk file just like any normal apk file. The modified stock camera app will install as a separate app and let you access the advanced settings by swiping out the settings wheel and tapping on the Ladybug icon in the lower right corner. For rooted users, there’s also a zip file available that can be flashed with a custom recovery.

Don't think that you'll just magically get better photos from your Moto though! The idea here is to improve the images you capture manually, by using the previously hidden advanced settings. So this isn't an instant trick to make you a better photographer: it will simply provide you the tools to get better shots.

MANUALLY EDIT BUILD.PROP TO UNLOCK HIDDEN SETTINGS

This method requires root permissions on your Moto G and a few seconds of your time. Follow the simple process to unlock the hidden settings on your camera app.

Make sure you device is rooted and install any File Explorer that has root access.

Navigate to the /System directory and open the build.prop file with any text editor. (It’s advisable to take a backup of build.prop first)

Now search for the following line in the build.prop: ro.build.tags=release-keys

Change the line to the line given below: ro.build.tags=test-keys

Save the file. The editor may ask for the root permissions, grant it.

Reboot the device.

That’s it, you can now view the hidden settings on your Moto G camera.